


Blue Dragon

by RainCurtain



Category: TOMORROW X TOGETHER | TXT (Korea Band)
Genre: Bullying, Childhood Friends, Gangs, Happy Ending, M/M, Promises to protect, Whipped Huening Kai, Whipped Kang Taehyun, taehyun has glittery pink sneakers, that are clearly crushing on each other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-08
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-17 19:42:15
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 15,082
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28605408
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainCurtain/pseuds/RainCurtain
Summary: Hueningkai and Taehyun made a promise to each other when they were younger where Hueningkai swore to protect him as they grew older.When bullying surfaces, Hueningkai is quick to act on that promise. However, who would have thought he would have been thrown into a messy world involved with gangs?OrHueningkai wants to protect Taehyun.
Relationships: Choi Soobin/Choi Yeonjun, Huening Kai/Kang Taehyun
Comments: 4
Kudos: 31





	1. Tyunning/Huekang

This story starts with a promise made long ago between two little boys.

_ "I'll protect you!" _

_ "R-Really?" _

_ "Yep, I'm strong!" _

_ The slightly older boy let out a giggle at the younger boy’s cute words and extended his pinky finger with a shy smile, "Promise?" _

_ There was a big, toothy grin on the face of the younger boy, "Promise!" _

And this story picks up the moment Taehyun is knocked to the floor, his cheek already starting to swell up from the impact.

His long bangs were covering his eyes, and he held his cheek, spitting onto the shoes of the person who had just pushed him. 

Wrong move because that earned him a kick to the stomach. Taehyun groaned out in pain but still had the nerve to crack a smile to piss off his attacker’s even more.

Unfortunately for Taehyun, he knew just how to rile people up. Which of course meant another kick to his stomach.

Luckily for him, he was able to block the blow with his hands, because in the next moment, he was getting yanked up by his hair and someone punched the right side of his face.

Taehyun's smile never let his face. In fact, he laughed loudly. He looked up at the males with hooded eyes, making them gulp.

He chuckled, "Admit it. You're obsessed with me. You want what you can't have. Can't even leave me alone. God, am I that attractive to you? How about you grow some balls and ask me out? We can have a lot of fun between just us two or more if you're into that."

The main bully’s face turned red. Whether it was out of anger or embarrassment went unknown. Not that Taehyun cared, because in the next moment, he was kicked in the stomach once more. 

One of the boys spat on him and Taehyun’s nose scrunched in disgust. He laid on the ground for a long time, stretched out like a starfish. 

He closed his eyes. Well, this was a nice excuse to get out of class. At least that’s what he thought until he heard a shrill scream coming nearer and nearer.

Taehyun smiled, already recognizing the owner of that scream from a mile away. 

Taehyun opened his eyes and came face to face with his best friend who was kneeling over him, face a little too close for comfort. Taehyun blushed.

You see… there was just one  _ little  _ factor that Taehyun had told absolutely no one. He had a crush-

Haha, nah. At this point in life he was pretty sure he was head over heels in love with his best friend. The only unknown factor to this equation was Hueningkai’s feelings towards him. 

Anyways, Hueningkai was still screaming and somehow managing to touch everywhere it hurt. Taehyun winced and Hueningkai took that as a cue to stop touching his wounds.

Hueninkai looked absolutely livid, and Taehyun knew the taller boy like the back of his hand. He never truly got angry at anyone, so this expression was very rare on him.

Then again, who wouldn't be angry if your best friend is constantly being bullied and harassed at school for no other reason than fitting the "nerdy" trend?

Taehyun wanted to stay on the low, so he dressed to not catch attention in school. Large, oversized sweaters and hoodies. Blue skinny jeans that hugged his waist and his curves. (not that it could be seen anyways because of his hoodie) 

Long bangs that hung over his eyes and thick framed glasses to top it off. Hueningkai thought the shorter boy looked absolutely adorable in these types of clothes. 

Unfortunately, Taehyun had failed very early on in trying to do the one thing he didn't want to do. Draw attention to himself.

Taehyun quickly became the target of the bullies, since he never truly fought back. He only fought with words and insults, never choosing to get physical with his assailants.

Taehyun never wanted to bring Hueningkai into his mess, and for a while, Hueningkai had actually remained clueless about the whole bullying ordeal.

That was until Taehyun made one little mistake, and Hueningkai unfortunately had to focus on him that moment. 

It happened around last week. Taehyun could clearly remember the events of that day, because he already woke up on the wrong side of bed that day.

The bullies had really done a number on him the day before. His body ached, but he managed to cover up the bruises on his arms. However, the injuries did not get past his father at breakfast that morning.

They never did. 

His father frowned and sighed, putting down his newspaper. Taehyun scoffed at the article written in bold letters at the top.

**_"Blue Dragon takes over the territory of the Iron Turtles!"_ **

Taehyun rolled his eyes, "Seriously, dad? How many times have I told you to stop looking at the media's take on gang wars?!"

Taehyun’s father took a sip out of his coffee and shot Taehyun a pointed glance, "Careful out there Tyun. I heard the streets have been very dangerous as of late."

Then his father put down his mug, frowning, "And how many times have I told you to fight back?!"

Taehyun childishly stuck out his tongue and haphazardly threw on his pink oversized hoodie in a rush. 

Taehyun took one step out the door, squeaking when he saw Hueningkai standing there, hand raised to knock.

Hueningkai blinked down at Taehyun, and he quickly brushed his bangs over his eyes and put on his glasses. 

Hueningkai pouted, and Taehyun took that opportunity to close the door to his house and begin speed walking to school.

Hueningkai ran to catch up to him. Taehyun cursed his longer legs. The younger had caught up to him too quickly. 

Hueningkai had a teasing edge in his voice, "Hyun~ you looked so pretty just now!"

Taehyun blushed at the compliment and he felt his heartbeat quicken, feeling flattered. His left arm reached over to clench the sleeve of his elbow.

He stuttered out, "I-I'm not."

Hueningkai leaned down and slung his arm around Taehyun’s shoulder. Taehyun yelped at the spark of pain he felt, and he nudged Hueningkai's arm off of him in reflex.

Hueningkai had a questioning look on his face before he frowned. He asked, "Hyun, what-"

Taehyun glared at him, really not wanting to have to explain where he got all the bruises from, "Drop it."

Hueningkai's frown deepened and he started yelling, "No, I won't!"

Hueningkai lunged at him and Taehyun yelped, trying to keep Hueningkai an arm's length away.

_ 'Holy crap! When did he become this strong?!' _

Taehyun's face turned completely red when Hueningkai started pulling up the fabric of his hoodie, exposing his skin.

Hueningkai's eyes widened in alarm at the sight of a dark purple bruise on Taehyun’s shoulder. He saw just a tiny glimpse of something inky black before Taehyun shoved him away, arms wrapped around him and screaming in a high pitched and offended voice.

"What are you doing?! Y-You can't just do that!"

Not gonna lie, Taehyun had a near heart attack right there. Too close, way too close.

Hueningkai held steadfast. He crossed his arms and glared down at his best friend, "Taehyun, is there something you're not telling me?"

Taehyun shrugged and started running to school, not willing to answer that question. Hueningkai was hot on his tail, and in the end he was subdued at the entrance gates of their school.

Hueningkai had him trapped against the wall, his arms on both sides of his head. 

On the inside Taehyun was screaming.

_ 'WTF WTF WTF THIS ISN'T SOME TYPE OF K-DRAMA!' _

Taehyun’s face was beet red and Hueningkai looked so serious. Again, rare, so much so that Taehyun was actually kind of frightened by his best friend.

And Kang Taehyun wasn't afraid of anything.

"Hey, lovebirds! I'm closing the gate in two minutes!"

Taehyun thanked the heavens for the interruption. Hueningkai’s face turned a little red, and he stuttered, "I-It's not like that!"

They silently walked to class side by side, since they didn’t have to separate until the intersecting hall. Both of them thinking of the same thing.

They met up again for lunch at their special spot. Thankfully, it was like Hueningkai had forgotten their whole argument this morning. 

Their place was located at the back of the school, right underneath one of the windows of the classrooms of the higher floor.

Hueningkai and Taehyun were fiercely fighting over each other's food when Taehyun's ears picked up on something.

A loud clang was all it took for Taehyun to push Hueningkai out of the way and instantly cover his head with his arms as soon as the younger boy was safe.

Taehyun bit his lip to prevent himself from making any noise when he felt something hit his arms and something cold surround him. Just because he was beaten down everyday at school didn't mean he would let them break his pride.

Taehyun was now soaked in water and he shivered. Next to him was an empty pail that was probably thrown down at him from the window up above.

Sure enough, Taehyun glanced above to hear a few voices laughing together. His body was trembling from the cold and next thing he knew Hueningkai was screaming at the boys above them before putting all his focus on Taehyun.    
_  
_ He was so cold.    
  
Taehyun let out a quiet whimper when he felt himself picked up. He never liked the feeling of being helpless. Hueningkai picked him up bridal style and sprinted all the way to the nurse’s office. 

The nurse took one glance at him before jumping out of his seat and getting straight to work. The male school nurse didn’t even mind that there were two teenagers in the room and began cursing, “Jesus, Taehyun! You have to stop getting beat up and coming here!” 

Hueningkai’s eyes widened in alarm, but Taehyun didn’t really want to see him in his vulnerable state right now. He whispered quietly, “Hyuka… get out.”   
  
Hueningkai opened his mouth to object, but the nurse shoved him out, “He’s right! You’re just going to be a bother standing here. Now go back to class! Lunch is already over.”   
_  
_ Hueningkai hesitantly left, and Taehyun sighed, covering his eyes with his arms. He decided it was best to just skip school and wait until school ended.

Taehyun quickly fell asleep, and when he did wake up, it was to loud yelling. 

“What is wrong with you children?! Why are you always picking fights?!”   
  
Taehyun lazily opened his eyes and tilted his head to the side to see what the commotion was. Judging by what he could gather, the person yelling was the school nurse.   
  
Who he was yelling at? That was left unknown to Taehyun.

Taehyun shrugged and went back to sleep. It didn’t matter to him anyways.

That was until he heard a shrill dolphin scream, “Ow, can’t you be more gentle?!”

Taehyun’s eyes shot open. He groaned and muttered out, already feeling a headache coming on, “Oh god… it’s my idiot.”   
  
With a heavy sigh, Taehyun sat up and hopped off the bed, beginning to make his way to the source of the voices. He stopped right in front of them with his arms crossed and an annoyed expression on his face.    
  
Hueningkai was quick to notice another presence, and he probably recognized Taehyun’s glittery, pink sneakers. His mouth opened and closed. He clearly didn’t know how to explain himself, but Taehyun already formed an idea in his head. 

He angrily flicked Hueningkai’s forehead making the boy cry out in pain and began to properly scold him, “Who said you had to go after them?! I would have been fine without your help!”   
  
Hueningkai frowned and he contested Taehyun, “And then what?! Let you bear all those injuries without doing anything to stop it when I have the power to do so?! Tyun, you can’t let them push you around!”   
  
Taehyun bit his lip in frustration. He hated it when they yelled at each other the most. It was painful, so Taehyun gave in.

He focused on his shoes, feeling tears prick his eyes. He willed them away and reminded himself he had to be strong to protect Hueningkai from getting involved.

He whispered, “You don’t understand… they’ll start targeting you next.”   
  
Hueningkai grinned and proudly hit his chest. Taehyun giggled at the sight. He thought it was a nice mixture of cute and funny, because the boy had a big patch on his cheek. He silently prayed for the boy when he got home, his older sister was going to chew him out. 

“Tyunnie! I’m strong! I promised I would protect you after all!”   
  
Ah… how Taehyun did remember that promise. Instantly, his mood was brought up and he pinched Hueningkai’s cheeks hard, “Fine! Don’t say I didn’t warn you idiot!”

Since then, the taller boy made numerous attempts to stay by Taehyun’s side all day. It was a nice attempt, if only they actually shared any classes together and they always seemed to be on opposite sides of the school. 

However, Taehyun felt his heart warm that his best friend cared for him so much. 

Anyways, back to the present. Taehyun was currently laughing his ass off as Hueningkai was scolding him. Hueningkai screamed in exasperation, making Taehyun wince. 

“Hyun, you can’t let them push you around anymore! It’s getting worse!”

Taehyun shrugged and got off the floor, patting the dust off of his clothes. He picked up his glasses from where they fell off the floor and put them back on. Taehyun pulled out his phone and checked his appearance in the camera, adjusting his hair a bit. 

He brushed his bangs to settle over his eyes before looking back at Hueningkai, the boy staring up at him. Taehyun smiled and extended a hand for him to take. Hueningkai sighed in defeat and pulled himself up from the ground.

However, after he got up from the ground, Hueningkai hesitated in letting go. Taehyun blushed and coughed into his hand, “A-Are you going to let go anytime soon?”   
  
Hueningkai stared at their hands for a moment before his face turned bright red and he hurried to let go, stuttering, “S-Sorry.”   
  
The two of them couldn’t bear to look at each other, both of them having bright blushes on their faces. Thankfully for the two best friends the bell rang, saving the two of them from any further embarrassment. 

Taehyun said, “I’ll walk you to your next class.”

Hueningkai shook his head, “No, I will. I don’t want those assholes coming back to harass you.”    
  
Taehyun shrugged, “Whatever floats your boat, I guess.”   


Hueningkai stood in front of the building with a confident look on his face. The worn down looking sign read,  _ ‘Diamond Boxing Ring.’ _   
  
He had been planning this for a while after finding out Taehyun was being harassed at school. He was dead set on learning how to fight. He hadn’t lied to Taehyun at all. Hueningkai was going to grow stronger and protect him!   
  
Honestly, he didn’t know why he chose this place. There were clearly many better options that were probably less run down, but Hueningkai specifically chose this place for a reason.

It was close to Taehyunnie’s house, so after he practiced he could hang out with his best friend! The boxing place was located on the shadier part of down which just so happened to be right next door to the wealthier side of town, which was where Taehyun’s house was located.

He pushed the door open and stepped inside, surprised that the inside looked a lot better than he originally thought. The outside looked pretty run down but when he stepped inside everything was in good condition. 

Hueningkai looked around to see that the place was completely empty except for one shirtless man lying down a bench and lifting weights. He had tattoos scattered all over his upper torso, some even extending below his waist line.  The man halted midway when he heard the door open. 

Hueningkai stood there awkwardly as the man with pink, tied up long hair, stood up and took a sip out of his water bottle, throwing his head back and gulping it down. The man licked his lips and wiped them with the back of his hand, standing up and looking in Hueningkai’s direction. 

He asked Hueningkai, “What’s a fancy looking kid like you doing here in this side of town?” 

Oh, he must have thought Hueningkai was a rich kid because of his school uniform. Sometimes he forgot he went to a prestigious school. Well, he did have money, so he wasn’t exactly wrong, and Hueningkai didn’t take any offense towards it.    
  
He boldly stated, “I want to learn how to fight.”   
  
The man stared at him for a minute before doubling over in laughter. Hueningkai got a sneak peek of some tattoo on the man’s back. The pink haired man finally stopped laughing and looked at Hueningkai with crossed arms, “And why would you want to do that? I won’t teach you if it’s for some stupid reason, kid.”

Hueningkai spilled everything, “Okay, so I grew up with this other boy. His name is Kang Taehyun and he’s the love of my life. I would literally do anything for him. When we were younger I promised him that I would protect him. A few days ago I found that my best friend was being targeted by meanies at school! I want to fulfill my end of the promise, but I can’t do that if I can’t fight! ”

Something flashed in the man’s eyes before he rolled his eyes, “You’re awfully honest. You’re doing all of this for one boy?”

Hueningkai nodded his head and the man chuckled, “You remind me of me when I was younger. My name is Choi Yeonjun. I’ll humor you for a little while. Have you ever been in a fight before?”   
  
Hueningkai shook his head and Yeonjun sighed. The pink haired male turned around and reached down to grab something from his bag, giving Hueningkai a clear view of his back.

He gasped out loud, and Yeonjun turned back in curiosity. He tilted his head in confusion before a look of realization crossed his face, “Oh, this tattoo? It’s cuz’ I’m part of the Blue Dragons. All the people with high status are required to have a tattoo of this dragon on their backs. Other members are only required to have a tattoo on their wrist of a dragon chasing its tail.”   
  
Hueningkai gasped even louder and Yeonjun grinned, “You’ll keep it a secret, right?”   
  
Hueningkai gulped. The threat was clear in his voice.  _ Tell anyone and I’m coming after you. _

It was pretty neat to Hueningkai though. The inky, black dragon was drawn by a masterful hand. He could tell just by looking at it. 

The details were very clear, down to the scales and the ferocious eyes and claws.    
  
Yeonjun grabbed a shirt from out of his bag and put it on. The dragon disappeared from view and Yeonjun spared a glance towards Hueningkai, “Are you going to train in that? It’ll be hard to move.”   


Hueningkai ended up borrowing someone else’s clothes. Yeonjun said that this person wouldn’t mind at all, since he gave up being in the physical field a long time ago. Yeonjun went into depth about this person and even told Hueningkai how the clothes belonged to the Blue Dragon’s tattooist.    
  
“You might know him.”   
  
Hueningkai blinked, his eyes widening, “What?!”   
  
Yeonjun’s eye twitched before he laughed out loud, “Oops, that was supposed to be a secret! You may not know him yet, but you’ll definitely know him soon I can promise you.”   


Yeonjun refused to say anything more, so Hueningkai gave up. The two took to training. Yeonjun was simply instructing him with a bored look. 

Eventually, the pink haired male sighed and said, “Look, let’s continue some other time. I have a date with someone, and I hate being late when it comes to my bunny. Please kindly pack up your belongings and leave.”   
  
Hueningkai was flabbergasted. He couldn’t tell if Yeonjun was tired of him or if he was actually genuine with his words. He had a feeling it was both.    
  
Hueningkai pouted but nodded his head. He didn’t bother changing back into his school uniform, opting to stay in the tank top and pair of knee length shorts he had borrowed from the tattooist.

He slung the bag over his shoulder and was promptly kicked out by Yeonjun. He dialed Taehyun’s number and patiently waited. Taehyun didn’t answer the first time, so he tried a second time.

Taehyun picked up on the second to last ring. HIs voice was rushed and he quickly asked, “What?”   
  
Hueningkai frowned and asked anyway, “Hyunnie~ are you busy? I’m near your house and I wanted to know if you’re available to hang out?”   
  
He heard muffled noises over on the other side and his frown deepened. He heard Taehyun shout something and another rustle before an unfamiliar voice spoke. The voice was flat and emotionless, “Sorry, Taehyun is busy with me, kid.”   


Hueningkai’s eyebrow furrowed in anger and confusion. Who was this guy? He was about to confront the other male before he heard another rustle and a muffled argument, “Hyung, stop it! Sorry, Hyuka. I’m a little busy right now, but I promise I’ll walk with you to school tomorrow! Got to go, bye!”    


Before the call ended he heard the loud sound of an engine roaring to life before his phone started beeping repeatedly, signaling that the call had ended. Hueningkai pouted and he saw Yeonjun walk out of the building with a sigh and a frown on his face.   
  
He looked stressed and Hueningkai’s eyes widened when he saw the man slide a gun into the holster attached to his belt. Their eyes met and Yeonjun gave him a small smile with a blank expression on his face.    
  
A shiver ran down Hueningkai’s spine as he watched the man climb onto a motorcycle and speed off into the night, clearly breaking multiple speed limits. His eyes were still wide and even then, he never truly realized the true weight of what he got himself into.   
  
He didn’t even notice that the man that he had just met and who had taken him under his wing, was one of the main heads of the Blue Dragons. 

True to his word, the next morning Hueningkai was awoken by an angel. Taehyun, already dressed and ready to go was gently shaking Hueningkai awake with his soothing voice, “Hyuka… Kai, come on. Wake up! We’re going to be late at this point!”

Hueningkai smiled softly, purposely turning on his side and pretending he was still trying to wake up. He groggily whispered in a hoarse voice, “Just a few more minutes, Hyun…”   
  
Even if they weren’t facing each other, Hueningkai knew that the older boy was pouting at his stubbornness. He felt his bed dip down and arms and legs wrapped around him like a koala, “Come on! You can’t stay in bed all day!”   
  
Hueningkai giggled and threw Taehyun off him with a laugh. He stuck out his tongue childishly, “And you always say you’re not clingy. Tell dad to save me some breakfast!”   
  
Taehyun’s cheeks puffed out in annoyance, and he yelled at him as Hueningkai retreated into his room, “Go to hell! I’m going to eat your portion out of spite!”   


Hueningkai giggled at the shorter boy and skipped his way to the bathroom.    
  


When he came out after doing his business, Taehyun was laying on his long bread plushie and playing on his phone. 

He propped himself up on his elbows when he heard the door open and their eyes met. Taehyun rolled off the bread plushie and walked over to Hueningkai, rubbing his hand through his hair.

Hueningkai yelped in pain when his hand got caught in a tangle. Taehyun sighed and scolded Hueningkai, dragging him back to the bathroom, "You have such nice hair, and you don't even bother taking care of it!"

Taehyun sat him down on the toilet seat lid and grabbed a brush from the sink counter. He started brushing Hueningkai's hair, and Hueningkai blushed at this rather intimate moment.

Taehyun only stopped when he was satisfied. He hummed and looked over Hueningkai one last time before giving him a thumbs up.

Hueningkai's older sister yelled from somewhere in the house, "You two! Hurry up and get going before you're late!"

Hueningkai sighed. Way to ruin the moment. Taehyun checked the time on his phone and left Hueningkai’s room, not waiting for him at all.

Hueningkai gasped and called after him, “Hyunnie, wait for me!”

He chased after his small best friend and caught up to him in no time. Hueningkai pouted and asked Taehyun, “Hey, Tyun, who was the guy that was on your phone last time?”   
  
Taehyun hummed and continued scrolling on his phone, speaking without much depth in his voice, “Just a friend.”

He frowned, clicking his tongue in annoyance. Of course Taehyun wouldn’t tell him. Either Taehyun was a really good actor, or the guy from yesterday was actually just one of his friends.   
  
Hueningkai came to a confident conclusion. He stuck his nose proudly in the air and thought,  _ ‘Hehe, Taehyun is my best friend, and I know everything about him! There’s no way he’s lying to me!’ _

Unbeknownst to him, Taehyun was staring at him with a small smile on his face, thinking,  _ ‘How can he look so ethereal everyday? I need to step up my game!’ _

When they arrived at school, Taehyun received a text from a certain individual. He brightly smiled seeing who it was from, and he quickly separated from Hueningkai. Taehyun waved him goodbye, running off somewhere with no explanation.

Taehyun spotted the tall male from a mile away with his brightly colored hair, and he happily shouted throughout the halls, “Soobin hyung! Soobin hyung!”

People’s eyes bugged out as they saw the normally quiet, nerdy kid scream out in the hallways for this tall, handsome, never seen before man. Soobin turned around and smiled at Taehyun, opening his arms wide.

Taehyun tackled Soobin in a hug, and the taller male let out a loud oof. Taehyun’s eyes beamed, and he looked up to Soobin, “Hyung! You’re teaching here?!”

Soobin laughed awkwardly, “Haha… yeah… I’m a math teacher now, hehe!”   
  
Taehyun suddenly became silent at the older’s words, letting out a snort as he bent over laughing. Again, the people who were looking at them widened their eyes, not used to this rare sight. Usually, Taehyun only laughed around Kai.

Soobin whined and gently pushed Taehyun’s shoulder. He was never much of a fighter, “Stop it! I wanted to become the art teacher but that position was already filled!”   
  
Taehyun shrugged, “Yeah, that suits you better than the thing you literally hate the most in the world. I remember that one time I asked you to help me on my calculus worksheet and your cheeks lost all their blood. It was so funny!”   
  
Soobin hid his face in his hands in embarrassment. After getting over it, he turned to Taehyun with a glare, lunging for him, “Go to class you brat!”

Taehyun squealed as he ducked out of Soobin’s grip, laughing loudly as he ran down the hallway to his first class of the day. Soobin was always so easy to tease~

Hueningkai yawned. He was bored. Apparently, their old teacher fell down the stairs and broke his bone, so he decided to retire without notice, since he was already so old. They were now waiting for their new math teacher who had yet to show up even though the bell had rang a few minutes ago. 

Finally, after what was probably just five or seven minutes, the door slammed open and a very tall, blue haired male came running in. His hair was messy and looked to be exhausted. Well, their classroom was located at the very top of the school, so Hueningkai had pity for him. 

The blue haired male bowed and quickly apologized, “Sorry, class! I got lost finding the classroom!”   
  
He introduced himself with a wide smile, “My name is Choi Soobin! I will be your new math teacher today. Please be kind if I make any mistakes, since I’m more of an arts and literature type of person!”   
  
He pulled out a textbook, struggling to hold it with one hand. He sighed and put it down on the table, shyly saying, “It seems I need to work out more…”   
  
The classroom burst into laughter and the positive feedback seemed to relax the older’s stiff position. He coughed into his fist and smiled as he instructed, “Okay, class! Please turn to page thirty six in your textbooks!”   
  
Hueningkai couldn’t quite put a finger on it. This man’s voice seemed familiar. It was on the tip of his brain, but he just couldn’t figure it out.    
  
Soobin began teaching his lessons, but disaster struck when he actually began instructing how to solve the problems. On the very first question, he would write down the problem on the board and squint at his textbook like it was going to solve the question for him.

The class fell silent in anticipation as the teacher brought the textbook up to his face like it was supposed to make him understand the content better. 

After what seemed like forever, Soobin took a deep breath and began to write on the board. However, not even a minute later one of the students awkwardly raised their hand, “Um, excuse me, sir?”   
  
Soobin turned around with a gentle smile, “Yes?”   
  
The boy gulped, slightly intimidated because Soobin was so tall, “Um, sir. That’s supposed to be a six, not a four. We’re adding them together, not subtracting.”   
  
Soobin’s smile dropped and he looked to be on the verge of tears, “Oh… is that so? Sorry class, it seems like I’m not cut out to be a math teacher. I should have pushed more for art!”   
  
The class was quick to remedy him and make him feel better. Even if he was tall and intimidating, the teacher was all but nice to them so far, and they would hate to make him cry. 

The whole class was spent with Soobin trying to teach them to solve the problem only to be corrected a few seconds into the problem. The bell rang and Hueningkai sighed in relief, happy to be out of the boring class.

He stood up and prepared to leave, but to his surprise, Soobin requested him to stay behind, “Don’t worry. I’ll write you a pass, so how about we talk for a little while?”

Hueningkai shrugged and sat down on the edge of one of the desks, staring at Soobin intensely.

He narrowed his eyes at the taller male and crossed his arms, "You sound really familiar."

At the same time Soobin asked, "You're Taehyunnie's friend, Kai, right?"

Both of them froze and Hueningkai's eyes widened in realization, "Wait! The guy from yesterday-"

Soobin quickly exclaimed, "You're going to be late to your next class hahaha, you should get going!"

Soobin tried to push him out, but Hueningkai grabbed him by the wrist and that's when he noticed something. 

A tattoo. A tattoo of a dragon chasing its tail on his wrist. 

He gulped and looked at Soobin who had already adjusted his shirt sleeve, "You're-"

Soobin shoved him out of the classroom finally, and Hueningkai fell to the floor as he was pushed out.

Hueningkai was still flabbergasted, but he had no choice to go to his next class. He rushed to his class, barely making it on time.

He met up with Taehyun during lunch and as soon as they met Hueningkai immediately asked him, "Hyun, have you heard about the Blue Dragons?"

Taehyun frowned, rolling his eyes, "Ugh, not you too. My dad won't stop talking about it."

Hueningkai frowned and he slowly continued, "...you should avoid that blueberry head."

Taehyun jolted at the name before regaining his composure and humming calmly, "So you met Soobin hyung?" He snickered, "How was his first day?"

Hueningkai's frown deepened, "He was that guy from yesterday, right? What were you two doing yesterday?"

Taehyun rolled his eyes, "I told you already. We were hanging out. Stop acting like my boyfriend."

Hueningkai fell silent at that, boldly saying, "But what if I want to be?"

Taehyun’s breath hitched, and his face turned beet red. He heard everything. Taehyun stuttered out, "W-What?"

Hueningkai bit his lip, and his expression hardened. He scoffed and started walking away, "Forget it."

Taehyun so badly wanted to run after him and tell him he liked him too, but warning bells rang throughout his head.

He couldn't. He still had so much to say to him. 

Yeonjun observed from the side as Hueningkai ruthlessly slammed his fists into the punching bag. He sighed, stopping him by placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Anger won't get you anywhere. Remain calm and focused. Don't let your anger consume you."

Hueningkai huffed and sat down on the floor, crossing his arms over his knees. He was annoyed. That was plain as day.

Yeonjun sighed, "What's got you so riled up today, kid?"

Hueningkai angrily spat out, "This random math teacher shows up to my school and suddenly he takes all of Taehyun’s attention away from me. Choi Soobin, curse you!"

"Hey, hyung are you done yet-"

Hueningkai's head whipped to the familiar voice, automatically frowning seeing the surprised, and somewhat frightened, look on the teacher's face.

He whined as Yeonjun smacked him on the back of his head, pulling him to stand up by the back of his collar.

He clicked his tongue and reprimanded Hueningkai in a silly voice, "Don't be mean to Soobinie! That's my boyfriend right there!"

Soobin’s face turned bright red and he hid behind a potted plant even though he could still be seen, "Hyung, stop…"

Yeonjun grinned and took off his shirt, making Soobin squeak and place his hands over his eyes. 

Hueningkai turned to Yeonjun who was proudly showing off his tattoos, "My lovely and talented Soobinie drew all of these!"

Hueningkai's eyes widened in awe. He glanced at Soobin and back at the tattoos, connecting the dots. 

Yeonjun grinned and flicked Hueningkai on the forehead before shoving him out of the building, "My Soobinie holds a special position. Even more unique than mine might I add. Now go. Spread your wings and fly away from your nest, little one."

Hueningkai was baffled as he was kicked out again just because Soobin showed up. 

He was losing to him wherever he went!

  
  


Taehyun braced himself for impact as he was kicked to the ground, wincing at the contact. He sighed, here we go again.

Just another normal day. Ever since their fight, would you call it a fight? Taehyun had been harassed twice as much.

Life truly was unfair. 

He blocked a punch to the face with his arms. His glasses were expensive, okay?

He heard someone scoff and drag him up by the collar. Taehyun got shoved into the wall again, feeling a bump starting to form on the back of his head.

One of his bullies sneered at him, "You're so weak, Kang. I bet you that friend of yours is just as pathetic, huh? How about we go teach him-"

The boy didn't even get to finish before his jaw was grabbed and he was slammed into the wall. Taehyun’s eyes were cold and merciless as he hissed out, "You can hurt me all you want, but you're not allowed to hurt him. Understand?"

The boy and his friends didn't move, and Taehyun slid his hand down to choke the other boy, pressing him further into the wall. 

He growled, "Understand?"

The boy started grasping Taehyun’s arm to get him to let go and he nodded his head weakly. Taehyun smiled and let him go, picking up his bag and walking away. The boy fell to the ground and started coughing, trying to breathe in as much air as he could.

His friends immediately rushed to his side and angrily yelled at Taehyun’s back, "You're a psychopath!"

Taehyun threw them the middle finger without sparing them a glance, his other hand resting in his pocket. 

Word got around fast, and Hueningkai was quick to find out that Taehyun had gotten into a fight again. 

They broke things off awkwardly last time, but even if Taehyun didn’t like him back, he was upset he wasn't there for the older. Taehyun was his crush, but first he was his best friend, and Hueningkai felt so stupid for allowing his emotions to get in between them. 

Whenever the two best friends weren't together, Taehyun would completely disappear. However, the school bell had just rung, and Hueningkai knew that Taehyun liked to take his time when it came to packing up and leaving school.

His class was all the way on the other side of school, but Hueningkai could make it if he made a run for it. He picked up his bag and sprinted all the way to Taehyun’s classroom, hoping he would make it on time. 

And low and behold, he saw the shorter boy with his eyes glued to his phone as he slowly walked towards the school’s entrance. He ran up to him from behind, and Taehyun turned around just in time to collide with Hueningkai who had thrown himself at him. 

He wrapped his arms around Taehyun’s smaller body tightly and exclaimed into his ear, “Taehyunnie!”   
  
Taehyun groaned, but he looked happy to see him again. Since Taehyun was always one of the last ones to leave, there was no one else around. Finally, a chance for them to be alone.    
  
Taehyun stared at Hueningkai for a short moment before fidgeting with the strap of his bag. He whispered quietly, “About the other day… can you hear me out and not run away?”   
  
Hueningkai winced at the older’s words. He gulped nervously but nodded his head, preparing himself for his rejection. He formed a whole plan in his head already. He would smile at Taehyun’s inevitable rejection, and then go home and cry buckets while hugging his molangs.

Taehyun smiled as the taller boy visibly panicked. He giggled, “I like you too, silly. Since a long, long time ago.”   
  
Hueningkai sighed, “I understand, Taehyun. I hope we can remain friends-”   
  
His eyes bulged and he looked at Taehyun like he was crazy. Hueningkai’s mouth opened and closed, and his face was red. He looked completely flabbergasted, and Taehyun grinned seeing the effect he had on him. 

He stood on his tiptoes and pressed a quick kiss on the tip of Hueningkai’s nose, making the boy squeak out in surprise. His face turned a brighter shade of red, and he hugged Taehyun tightly, whining and hiding his face in his shoulder.   
  
It was an awkward angle, but Taehyun wrapped his arms around Hueningkai’s broad back, happy that he had returned his feelings. Hueningkai’s hands fell to settle above the back of his waist. Taehyun patted Hueningkai on the back, humming softly into his ear. 

"Are we boyfriends now?”

Hueningkai choked in embarrassment. He cried out, “Isn’t that too fast?”   
  
Taehyun rolled his eyes, “Really, Hyuka? We’ve known each other since we were young. If anything, I think we took too long to get to this point. Our feelings were probably mutual since a long time ago. We were just too blind to see that.”

Hueningkai blushed, taken aback. He couldn’t believe it! He gasped, “Wait… so I’m dating the most beautiful boy in the whole school? No! The whole world?!”   
  
Taehyun blushed furiously at the compliment, and he smacked Hueningkai on the shoulder, “Shut up! Ugh, you’re so embarrassing!”   
  
That day was special to the two of them, and Hueningkai had ditched his normal training session with Yeonjun to take Taehyun on a first date. Well… if Yeonjun could ditch him for his boyfriend, so could Hueningkai!   
  
Meanwhile, back in the Diamond Boxing Ring…

Yeonjun sneezed and blew his nose with a tissue. He tapped his foot against the floor, patiently waiting for the brat to show up. He yawned and checked his watch. If the boy didn’t show up in ten minutes then he would go and crash Soobin’s “important” clan meeting. 

Please, Soobin would be grateful for Yeonjun to save him from the nightmare of sitting in a room with clan leaders and elders as they talked about boring matters. He glanced at the clock, and as always, the thought of Soobin was too tempting.

He picked up his bag and threw on a cap, heading out the door to catch a flight to Japan. 

Taehyun stepped into his home with a ditzy smile on his face. He had just dropped Hueningkai off at his house, and Taehyun was humming happily. His dad was gone as he usually was and Taehyun skipped to his room. 

After he took a shower and freshened up, Taehyun hopped in bed, squealing into his plushie that Hueningkai bought for him one year for his birthday. Taehyun couldn’t believe it!   
  
After who knows how many years, Taehyun finally got the boy of his dreams! His best friend actually liked him back! He took off his glasses and turned off the light, heading off to dreamland.    
  
That night was one of his best sleeps ever. 

  
  


Hueningkai was pumped when he woke up that morning. After all, getting not rejected by someone you deemed to be the love of your life was an amazing feeling. 

Lea and Bahiyyih seemed to notice his sudden change in mood, and last night they had pressured him to spill until he finally relented. When he finally told them that he was dating Taehyun, they were over the moon and the three of them had screamed until their neighbor came over to tell them that they were trying to sleep. 

Taehyun had sent him a text that morning saying that he would be waiting for Hueningkai at the front entrance of the school. However, when he arrived there was no Taehyun in sight. He looked around, confused. 

Hueningkai shrugged. He must have gone ahead without him. Oh well! Might as well try and find him!

Hueningkai started walking around the perimeter of the school, trying to find Taehyun when he heard a noise. He froze. It sounded like a loud smack.    
  
Hueningkai peeked over the corner, and his blood started boiling at the sight. Taehyun’s arms were being held back by a guy as some random girl slapped him on the cheek. Taehyun’s face was tilted to the side, hidden from Hueningkai’s point of view. 

The girl sneered but was pushed aside by another guy who grabbed Taehyun by his hair, forcing him to look at him straight in the eyes.   
  
The boy whistled, “Hoo, what a beauty. Those glasses do you no justice, doll. Who’s confident now? I heard you threatened my bro, and I don’t take threats lightly. If you kneel and beg for mercy right now then maybe I’ll consider letting you go. Hmm, you could become my slave instead! How does that sound?”   
  
Taehyun glared at him and slammed his head into the boy’s forehead, growling out, “Never. I’d rather suffer a thousand blows then beg for mercy from a pathetic loser like you.”

The boy glared at Taehyun and punched him, sending him to the floor, gritting his teeth in anger. Hueningkai had to step in now. He wouldn’t let these bullies bully his best friend, no his boyfriend, any longer!

He stepped out and shouted loudly, “Hey, let go of him!”

Everyone, including Taehyun, turned to look at him. Taehyun’s eyes especially widened dramatically and the two frantically communicated with their eyes in the span of just a few seconds. 

The group of four boys and that one girl turned to look at him with a funny look. The head boy just scoffed and rolled his eyes, “Where did this lanky kid come from? Go away. Can’t you see we’re busy here?”

Hueningkai ran towards the boy leading them all, surprising the boy greatly. His face hardened and he looked ready to defend himself from Hueningkai.

Hueningkai raised his fist to hit the boy, but at the last moment he tripped on his untied shoelace and fell to the floor. The group let out a loud, boisterous laugh, and Hueningkai felt his cheeks tinge red in embarrassment. 

Taehyun shoved himself off of the floor and rushed to Hueningkai’s side. His hands were immediately on his cheeks, observing for any injuries. His voice was filled with concern as he asked softly, “Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere?”   


The group of students looked at them in disgust and the girl rolled her eyes, “Let’s just go guys. Leave these two gays to themselves.”   
  
When they were completely gone, Taehyun’s eyes softened. He gently held Hueningkai’s hand and softly whispered, “You’re really hung up on that promise, huh?”   
  
Hueningkai frowned and his hands clenched into fists, “I don’t want to see you getting hurt, ever.”   
  
Taehyun smiled and sighed, patting Hueningkai on the head, “Wanna skip?”   


Hueningkai stayed silent before laughing loudly, “Wow! The honor student suddenly wants to skip class? I must be dreaming!”   
  
Taehyun puffed his cheeks out in annoyance, “Just because I make good grades doesn’t mean I enjoy school!”   


“Make no mistake. Find an opportunity and grab the small one. He’s the one boss wants.”

Taehyun and Hueningkai were peacefully enjoying walking through town and enjoying their date. They had long since ditched their uniform jackets. Now, Taehyun and Hueningkai were only wearing thin long, white sleeved button up shirts.    
  
It was hot, and Hueningkai wanted ice cream. He asked Taehyun, “Hyun, want to get ice cream?”

Taehyun shook his head and waved him ahead, “Just go to that corner store, buy some, and get out. I’ll be right here when you come back.”   
  
Hueningkai nodded and pulled out his wallet. It shouldn’t have taken that long, but there was a long line in front of him. He pouted and after ten minutes he decided it wasn’t worth the wait. After he put back the ice cream he exited the building only to find that Taehyun wasn’t anywhere in sight.

And to his horror, laying right where Taehyun was supposed to be waiting for him was his… shoe? Where did he go? Why did he leave his shoe behind?    
  
Hueningkai panicked, automatically fearing the worst. What happened while he was gone?!   
  


It was dark. Taehyun knew he was blindfolded. His hands were tied to some chair. He kicked back, sliding backwards on the floor, making the chair screech as it slid.

He tensed when he heard someone approach him. Taehyun winced when the blindfold was forced off his head and he was met with a faint light, still only used to darkness it hurt to see it. 

Taehyun’s head started spinning, but he didn’t stop what he was doing. His eyes zoned into someone standing in front of him. It was definitely not someone he knew. He was older and wearing a suit. 

When his eyes adjusted he instantly recognized the tattoo of a roaring tiger on the man’s wrist, spreading all the way to his shoulder. Taehyun’s eyes widened and the man chuckled, getting uncomfortably closer. 

Taehyun became increasingly uncomfortable when he felt the man’s breath on his neck. He froze when he felt the man’s nose touch his neck, shivers running down his spine.    
  
His body felt absolutely disgusting as the man took a deep whiff of Taehyun’s scent. He frowned and headbutted the man, “What do you want from me?!”   
  
The man groaned and glared at him. He went to the corner and picked up a bucket of water, throwing it and it’s contents onto Taehyun. It drenched him completely, but Taehyun was glad that it was just water and nothing gross. 

He shivered at the feeling of his clothes sticking to his skin, and he definitely didn’t like the look the man was sending him now that his clothes were somewhat transparent. 

“Your boyfriend isn’t coming to save you. No one is coming to save you.”   
  
Taehyun stayed silent before he chuckled lowly. He tilted his head back and started laughing loudly, startling the man greatly. He glared at Taehyun and asked, “What are you laughing at? You’re at my complete and utter mercy, boy.”   
  
Taehyun’s head dropped and he stared blankly at the floor, his eyes dark and calculating. He felt his binds come free, and the corners of his lips twitched into a smile. 

He whispered just loud enough for the two of them to hear, “You’re mistaken. No one is coming to save  _ you _ .”

Taehyun stood up from the chair and stretched his limbs, twisting his body. He grinned and cracked his knuckles, “You sure are underprepared for knowing who exactly I am. I’m quite upset they thought someone like you could get rid of me easily.” 

The man moved to run away, but Taehyun was one step ahead. He always was. How else would he survive in this dog eat dog world?

He blocked the man’s exit and grabbed him by his face, slamming him into the floor and knocking him straight out cold. 

He scoffed, “Wasn’t even that much of a fight.”   
  
He froze when he heard the door open and prepared himself to fight another wave of men, only to be met by his equally shocked boyfriend.    


Hueningkai was glad Taehyun was safe. He had been tipped off by one of the passersby on the street that they saw someone that fit Taehyun’s description dragged away. He followed the trail until he came to an empty, rundown building. 

He should have been more worried about Taehyun’s condition, but he gulped when he saw Taehyun. Or should he say, more specifically the drawing of a majestic dragon tattooed into his back. 

Taehyun looked frightened by Hueningkai’s sudden appearance, and his lip started trembling. He whispered, “You weren't’ supposed to see that.”

Hueningkai smiled and hugged Taehyun tightly, “It’s nothing to be ashamed of. Hehe, I’m just kind of embarrassed how I’ve been trying to protect you for so long only for you to be entirely capable of defending yourself.”   
  
Taehyun breathed in deeply, “Let’s just get out of here. That guy’s a creep. I think I owe you a proper introduction.”

So once again, Hueningkai found himself in front of the Diamond Boxing Ring. Taehyun dragged Hueningkai hand in hand inside. Hueningkai immediately spotted Yeonjun playing on his phone and greeted him, “What’s up?”   
  
Yeonjun looked up and his eyes widened seeing Taehyun was with him. He nearly dropped his phone and Taehyun giggled, pointing at Yeonjun, “Yeonjun hyung here is the Blue Dragon’s guard dog. He doesn’t like that term though. He prefers gatekeeper. He makes sure no one enters the base while we're out, and he is very important to us.”

Taehyun continued the introductions, “Soobin hyung is probably still in Japan, but his family is not directly associated with us. His family’s clan is like the middle ground between all the gangs. They don’t have any clients they’re loyal to, because they draw the tattoos for every gang around here.”   
  
Then he turned around on his feet and pecked Hueningkai on the lips lightly, “And you, Ningning, are the Blue Dragon’s leader’s son’s boyfriend! So of course you also hold a high position in the ranks!”   
  
Hueningkai was baffled at this turn of events, but he found this new discovery to make the shorter boy even more endearing. Yeonjun gagged at them in the background, but Hueningkai didn’t care. 

He swooped in one more time to snag another well deserved kiss after everything he had been through. 


	2. Yeonbin/Soojun

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yeonbin's love story

_“I’ll make you mine one day.”_ _  
  
_

_“I’ll be waiting for that day.”_

When Soobin was born, he was the Choi Clan's miracle boy. Growing up, he had lived in Japan but with korean speaking parents, so he was cherished even more, because he could speak both languages. 

A perfect mediator and that's what his family raised him to be. Every day growing up he would take lessons in art, and he was extremely talented from a young age.

The Choi Clan knew they had raised a jewel, but whenever you hold something valuable don't you hide it away from prying eyes?

Choi Soobin grew up in that lonely villa in Japan. He wasn't allowed to interact with the other kids, but it was okay, because Soobin never went against his family’s orders. Except for one little boy, but this wasn't about him right now.

However, that never stopped the longing stares he would point at the children playing out in the streets from his window. 

Whenever he had free time, Soobin would stare out the window, hoping that maybe, just maybe someone would see him. He was a ghost to the outside world. 

Then one day, Soobin was sitting by the window of his room, meaninglessly messing with the ends of his kimono when he heard something past the bamboo forest that surrounded his house. 

He opened his window and curiously peeked out, wondering what made the noise. Soobin worried that it was Sean who somehow made it out of the house again.

He was about to go outside his house to check if the dog had really escaped when out of nowhere a head suddenly popped up from below his window, leaves stuck in a mop of messy black hair.

Soobin was frightened by this boy's sudden appearance and screamed loudly, so loud it echoed throughout the whole property of the Choi clan.

Not even a few seconds later he heard footsteps outside his door and someone shouting, "Young Master! Is everything okay?!"

Soobin glanced at the boy who was still hanging on the edge of his window and grinning up at him. The boy pressed a finger to his lips and Soobin blushed, coughing lightly, "Yes, um, I just hit my toe on the edge of my desk. You are dismissed."

A good thing about being the prized treasure of the Choi's was that no one could enter his room and disrupt his privacy without his permission to enter. 

He let out a sigh in relief when he heard the footsteps walk away. His attention returned to the boy who was crawling his way into Soobin’s room. Soobin should have been panicking and worrying if this kid was here to kill him but part of him was very intrigued by this boy.  
  
And maybe, Soobin wanted a friend the most. 

The boy finally took a step inside his room and that’s when Soobin decided to react. He automatically took a step back as the boy stared him directly in the eyes, stepping closer. One foot forward, one step backward. This continued until Soobin yelped when he felt his back his the wall.  
  
It still wasn’t too late to call for help, but something refused to let Soobin open his mouth. It was the boy’s eyes. 

Feline-like eyes that seemed to penetrate through Soobin’s thickest walls, breaking him down from the inside. Eyes that told Soobin that he would never be able to hide a secret from him.

The boy grinned, standing only a few inches away from Soobin and a shiver ran down Soobin’s spine. 

The boy reached for him and Soobin naturally flinched, only for the boy to retract his hand and grin at Soobin, “My name is Yeonjun! What’s yours?”  
  
Soobin’s eyes widened and he stuttered, “C-Choi Soobin.” 

Yeonjun hummed, testing the name out, "Choi Soobin? Pretty name for a pretty boy."

Soobin’s face exploded with color and he hid his face behind his hands out of embarrassment. He couldn't see, but he could hear the boy let out a low chuckle, "Cute."

Yeonjun finally gave him some space and backed up a few steps, his face suddenly becoming blank. He asked, "You're like me, aren't you?"

Soobin finally had room to breathe and he silently asked, "...what do you mean?"

Yeonjun glanced at the window and pointed outside, "You want to see the outside world. Don't you?"

Soobin gulped, "I-I do, but I can't."

Yeonjun titled his head, "Why not? I just ran away a few minutes ago. You can too with my help."

Soobin shivered at the thought and his hands started shaking. He shook his head, "I-I can't. I'm too scared. I don't know what they'll do to me if I try and escape, I mean leave."

Yeonjun stared at Soobin for a while before he bent over, laughing so loudly that Soobin was afraid someone was going to hear him. 

Yeonjun grinned and walked over to Soobin. He grabbed his hand and forced his palm open and closed it.

Yeonjun walked backwards to the window and sat on the windowsill, sending one last wink towards Soobin’s direction before jumping out, "Then wait for me. I'll come back for you.”

Soobin’s heart did a flip and he gasped as he saw Yeonjun’s figure running away in the distance. He put a hand over his rapidly beating heart and whispered quietly, "What's going on with you, Choi Soobin?"

  
  


Choi Yeonjun never came back, but he never left Soobin’s mind.  
  
Soobin would find himself no longer staring outside the window. Instead, he kept to himself in his room and would play with the necklace in his hands. Yes, Yeonjun had placed a necklace in his hand.  
  
It was a simple chain with a green jade charm in the shape of a teardrop. It looked really expensive, and Soobin couldn’t help but become even more curious as to who exactly “Choi Yeonjun” was. 

He jolted back to reality when he heard a knock on his door. He scrambled to hide the necklace in his desk drawer, away from prying eyes. 

He coughed and calmed himself down, coldly saying, "Come in."

The door opened and his mother came in. She was wearing a gold hairpin in her hair with that atrociously large amethyst flower. It must have weighed a lot.

He sighed, "Yes, mother? I already finished my lessons for the day."

Mrs. Choi walked in and say down on Soobin’s bed, smiling at her son, "I didn't come for that silly boy. I know how reliable you are. Your father asked me to bring you to the clan meeting. It seems we have special guests today, and he wants you to entertain the son of our special guest. You're about the same age. He's a bit older than you I believe."

Soobin’s eyes lit up when he heard that it was someone his age. He immediately stood up and dug around his closet for a kimono that wasn't stained or smudged with ink.

He started throwing clothes all over his room and asked his mother, "I don't have to dress formally, right? No montsuki today?"

His mother responded in korean, "No, dear. You're just going to be showing him around. You're not of the age to attend clan meetings yet. Dress casually and head to the western pavilion."

Soobin found a decent, dull gray kimono and started to undress. He whined, "All the way over there? Couldn't they have dropped him off at the lotus pond or something?"

He quickly put on his kimono and his mother sighed, walking over to her son. She adjusted his sash. She looked at her son and Soobin’s eyes softened.

Her eyes were getting wet as she cupped Soobin’s face with her hands, "My little boy is growing up too quickly. You're already taller than me! I could have sworn that just a days ago you were below my waist and hiding behind me."

Soobin smiled and said, "Mom, don't cry. I'll always be your son! Plus, you'll mess up your makeup and make _me_ cry!"

She sniffled and stepped away, although not without rubbing her hands through Soobin’s already messy hair and making it even more unkempt.

He whined and she smiled before waving him off. Soobin smiled back and she gave him an encouraging thumbs up before he headed towards the western pavilion.

Soobin’s room was located on the eastern side of the land, so he had to walk all the way across. By the time he arrived he was already somewhat tired. Soobin let out a sigh of relief when he found a stone bench at the back of the pagoda.

He needed to take a breather. Soobin walked over and sat himself down, closing his eyes and relaxing. 

He screamed embarrassingly loud when he felt hands press themselves onto his shoulders and someone shouting from behind him loudly, “Boo!”

He fell to his knees on the floor, panting for breath. His face contorted in anger and he whipped around, “What the hell was that for?!”

His breath hitched and time seemed to freeze in that moment when he was met eye to eye by a familiar pair of feline-esque eyes.

Yeonjun was there in person, grinning down at him with a cheshire cat smile on his face. He was laughing loudly, "Told you I'd be back! Did you miss me?"

Soobin was still frozen in shock, and Yeonjun decided to play with him further by staring at him. Soobin’s face exploded in red and he backed away, coughing into his fist. 

He regained his composure and forced his face to stay expressionless, “Follow me. I’ll be your guide for today.”

Yeonjun rolled his eyes but took after Soobin after the taller boy had turned around and started to walk away. Suddenly, Soobin stopped and turned around with a shy smile on his face. 

He fidgeted with his fingers, “Sorry… I’m not very good at playing the emotionless character. Would you like to sit down and talk with me?”

Yeonjun smiled and plopped himself on the floor of the veranda. Soobin thought it was weird. Yeonjun was obviously a person of high status. I mean, why else would he be allowed to step foot in Soobin’s family’s estate?

Yet… Yeonjun acted like, to put it in the best way, a commoner. He had little to no mannerisms, and his speech itself was very improper. The complete opposite of Choi Soobin, but maybe that’s what Soobin needed in his life. Something, or someone in this case, to spice things up.

Soobin was very grateful that Yeonjun was a naturally talkative person. He led the conversation and gradually Soobin found himself comfortable with keeping the conversation flowing.

Unfortunately, their peaceful hangout was interrupted by a loud bell ringing out throughout the whole lot. Soobin jumped in fright and clutched his hand over his heart, sighing with his eyes closing briefly, “I guess the meeting is over.”  
  
He stood up and turned around to look at Yeonjun, mouth going dry at the way Yeonjun was leaning back and looking at him, body completely relaxed.  
  
Yeonjun jumped to his feet and stepped closer to Soobin who instinctively took a step back. One step forward, one step backward. Soobin yelped when his back hit the edge of the wooden fence, Yeonjun only two foot steps away from him. 

Well this was a familiar scene.  
  
Yeonjun closed his eyes for a brief moment before opening them, eyes burning with emotion, “Choi Soobin, I like you.”  
  
Soobin’s eyes bugged out and his face quickly turned beet red. He ignored the way his heart started beating faster and exclaimed, “We’ve only met t-twice!” 

Soobin and Yeonjun both tensed as they heard footsteps nearing towards them. Yeonjun smirked and bent down a little, pressing Soobin’s hand to his lips. 

He winked up at him and Soobin gulped, “I’ll make you mine one day.”  
  
Soobin couldn’t help but giggle at the boldness of his statement, “I’ll be waiting for that day.”

  
  


For a while, Soobin didn’t see Yeonjun at all. However, he would receive beautifully wrapped up gifts from Yeonjun. He had specifically asked the guards to not check the boxes and because he was naturally so protective over it all the workers in his estate thought someone was sending him something precious like jewels or money.  
  
However, in the hour Yeonjun and Soobin had sat down to talk, the two had really gotten to know each other well, so when the very first gift came Soobin wasn’t nervous at all. He opened the box with a smile which only grew as he saw it was a book about making crafts.

As for today, Soobin had received a book filled with baking recipes, and he was ecstatic to try them out. He ran towards the kitchen, rushing past his mother who looked back at him with a curious glance and a knowing smile on her face.  
  
Soobin skidded to the kitchen and a few moments later his mother peeked her head into the kitchen. She rolled up her sleeves and tied up her hair tightly. 

Soobin curiously glanced at her and she smiled widely, “What? A mother can’t bake with her favorite son?”  
  
Soobin beamed and hugged her tightly, “I’m your only son, mom!”  
  
Soobin’s mother laughed softly, “And that’s why you’re my favorite! Now you’re going to have to teach your mother how to do this!”  
  
Soobin scratched his head shyly, “I actually don’t know myself… but we can learn together.”  
  
An hour and a half later the kitchen was a little messy and there was a tray of slightly overcooked cookies cooling on the counter. To Soobin, it looked like to be an excellent first try for someone as clumsy as him.

They wrapped the cookies up in a bag and walked over to Soobin’s father’s room. Soobin’s mother knocked on the door and announced their presence, “Dear, it’s Soobin and I! We have a gift for you!”  
  
“Come in!”  
  
Soobin opened the door for his mother and the two stepped inside to see Soobin’s father taking a nap on the couch. He sat up and yawned, covering his mouth to preserve some dignity. 

Soobin nervously handed his father the cookies, “Um… mom and I made these cookies for you to try.”  
  
Soobin’s father chuckled and he quickly ate one, “So I’m the guinea pig?”  
  
Nonetheless, he ate the cookie and hummed in thought before giving the two a thumbs up, "It's pretty good for a first try!"

Soobin sighed in relief, and the small family of three sat down in his father's office to have a nice chat and meal together. 

Over time, Soobin had thought over his gifts and came to a striking conclusion. He had fallen quickly. No one knew Soobin’s interests better than Yeonjun did, because he was the only one he had spilled his while life to in one day.

So it was reasonable for Soobin to get upset when Yeonjun went missing. He used to send Soobin a gift every month periodically but one day he suddenly stopped.

One month turned into two, two months into three, and before he knew it, a year had come and gone, and Yeonjun was still the only thing on his mind. 

Soobin was depressed and poured his heart and soul and time into his artwork and tattoos, wanting to make himself even better and more polished.

Like now, he was taking inspiration from the rain hitting against his window outside. It was a calming sound to him, and he found the tension in his body uncoiling itself.

He was brought out of his concentrated state when he heard a knock on his door. He spoke softly, "Come in."

The door opened and one of their butlers walked in, bowing, "Young master. Your client is here.”

Soobin was nervous. A few weeks ago his father had stated that it was the time for him to draw his first tattoo. He had been given a brief background on his very first job.

Of course, being a specialized tattoo artist for all the gangs, Soobin was required to know all of them. So of course he was incredibly frightened when he saw his very first client was a member of the Blue Dragons.

Heck, he nearly fainted when he saw it was going to be someone with high standing that he would be tattooing a great dragon on the client's back as accustomed. Soobin quickly composed himself and put on an expressionless face, “Thank you. I’ll head there now.”

The door closed quietly and Soobin jumped on his bed, silencing his screams into his pillows. His palms were sweating and he ran to the restroom to wash his hands clean, looking at himself once more in the mirror.

He smacked his cheeks light and glared at himself confidently in the mirror, “You got this Choi Soobin!”  
  
He tidied up his appearance before heading out of his room, acting like he wasn’t just panicking over this appointment a few seconds ago. 

Soobin was escorted to the room by bodyguards even though he already knew where he was going. It was just for show. When he entered the room he would be left all alone. 

They stopped in front of a large set of dark oak wood doors, designs engraved into the frame by every clan leader to date. Soobin gulped knowing that one day he would have to carve something into that same wide beam.

He excused the guards and they left quickly. Soobin took a deep breath and closed his eyes, opening the door.

He blinked at the person inside before closing the door shut with a loud bang. He pushed against the door, pushing harder when he felt someone try to pull it open. 

The two opposing forces battled against each other but Soobin was quickly overwhelmed, and the door opened to reveal a very looking familiar face with now pink dyed hair and a more muscular body.

Yeonjun frowned and crossed his arms with a childish pout on his face, "You're taller than me. Let me chop off your legs."

Soobin’s face paled and he was close to calling security before Yeonjun pulled him into the room and closed the door.

He jumped on the couch in the back and crossed his legs, arms spread out on either side of the back of the couch. He patted the cushion next to him, and Soobin hesitantly sat down.

Yeonjun started, "So… it’s been a long time, hasn't it?"

Soobin frowned, suddenly remembering. He scooted all the way to the end of the couch to get as far away as Yeonjun as possible.

Yeonjun pouted and wrestled with Soobin to lay down on his lap, "Wait! I have a reason!"

Soobin was still trying to push Yeonjun off, but his curiosity peaked at Yeonjun’s exclamation. He huffed in annoyance and started combing his fingers through Yeonjun’s dry hair unconsciously.

"Well? Get to it."

Yeonjun’s eyes beamed and he began his story, "Well, you see. I've met your parents, very nice people might I add! Unfortunately, my parents are not the same way. My father found out after checking his credit card bill that I was buying things I don't usually buy, and he started investigating into the matter. He found out I was sending gifts to you and confronted me."

Yeonjun laughed boisterously, "You should have seen the look on his face when I told him I was gay and courting you! Yeah, I ran away the next day. What can he do? I'm his only son and that man won't trust anyone else. In that amount of time I traveled to Korea and joined a gang called the Blue Dragons. Cool people, they promoted me really quickly, and I remember you telling me you were a grand tattooist, so I took the chance to come and meet you!"

Soobin blinked, trying to comprehend all the information thrown at him at once. He gasped dramatically, causing Yeonjun to smack him on the thigh with an irritated look.

Soobin snorted and rolled his eyes, "All right, you are forgiven. You're unbelievable."

Yeonjun hummed and Soobin maneuvered him to lay on his front on the chair. He put on gloves and asked Yeonjun, "How's Taehyunnie?"

Ah, yes. Kang Taehyun. He was like Soobin’s little brother. He was brought over to the Choi estate when he was younger to play with Soobin, and he was Soobin’s baby. If anything were to happen to him… well he could send Yeonjun after them now.

Seeing the little boy grow up so fast hurt Soobin’s heart, and get this, he was already talking about boys! Gosh, how time flies by. 

When it was just him and Taehyun, the only names that would come out of Taehyun’s mouth were Soobin hyung, Soobinie hyung, Binnie hyung, or bunny hyung! Now he only talks about that kid, Hueningkai! 

Yeonjun laughed as Soobin ranted to him. He snickered but quickly winced when felt the needle, "Taehyun misses you by the way. He says you should call him more often."

Yeonjun’s voice drowned out, and he turned around to get a sneak peek as to why Soobin wasn't responding. 

It was an interesting sight to see how calm and focused Soobin was, and Yeonjun turned back around, deciding to put his trust in him.

Soobin giggled when he went to wake up Yeonjun who had somehow managed to fall asleep and was lightly snoring on the chair.

Yeonjun shot up in his seat with wide eyes. He yawned and stretched his limbs, wincing a bit. That's when Yeonjun’s phone rang and he looked at the contact name, sighing as he recognized it.  
  
He stood up and walked over to Soobin. He kissed Soobin on the cheek briefly before heading out the door, giving Soobin one last final wave, “Let’s meet in Seoul. I’ll show you around.”

Soobin’s face flared up, and he couldn’t even form a response until he noticed Yeonjun had already left. His heart was racing and he curled up, knees pressed against his chest, hiding his face in his hands. 

Soobin screamed silently into his hands before composing himself and exiting the room. Instantly, he was met face to face with his mother who noticed the redness of her son’s face. Her face went through a series of different expressions before stopping on a knowing and teasing look on her face. 

He gulped and Soobin’s mother excused her bodyguards, lightly skipping to Soobin and wrapping her arms around Soobin’s elbow. 

Her eyes were glimmering with a scary amount of excitement, “Let’s have a mother-son talk, shall we? I’m interested in that boy who just left.”

They took the path to the center of the bamboo forest, sitting down on a stone bench under a hoisted paper umbrella. She pulled a fan out of her sleeve and started fanning herself lightly under the harsh sun. 

“Oh dear… my son is really growing up…”  
  
Soobin sighed, “Mother, it’s really not that-”  
  
He startled when she suddenly started wailing, leaning all of her weight on Soobin and making him grunt, “You don’t understand! My precious son is going through a rebellious state!”  
  
Soobin’s face paled. Was she against Soobin liking men?  
  
“He’s grown so old he doesn’t even tell his mother anything anymore. Tell me now son! When did you and that boy become a thing?! I can’t wait to tell you father about this glorious news! He’s going to be so happy!”  
  
Soobin let out a deep sigh, and he visibly relaxed, a smile gracing his delicate features. “Well, mother… I think I’m in love.”  
  
Soobin’s mother motioned for him to continue and Soobin looked up at the sky, the sunlight appearing in scattered shapes due to the bamboo forest surrounding them. 

“At first, he seemed so unreachable, so unlike me. I think the difference between us is what scared me the most, but now I know. I know how beneath that mask he wears we are the same. Yes, we live in two completely different words with one bridge, and he disappeared for a long time, but I want to be with him. It just feels right. I want to be with him in all of his hardships and stay by his side forever. Isn’t that what you felt for dad?”

Soobin’s mother giggled, "Soobin, dear. Your father and I were arranged to be married. I think we're lucky enough to even fall in love with each other along the way."

Soobin fell silent at that and he whispered quietly, "I want to go to Korea, specifically Seoul."

Soobin’s mother smiled gently and she took his hands in hers, rubbing the back of Soobin’s bigger hands with her smaller ones soothingly. 

"Let mommy handle this. I'll talk to your father about this. Though, I doubt he'll have anything to say against it. The problem is the elders, but your father and I can be very persuasive when it comes to our baby!" 

Soobin blushed but felt grateful he even had loving and supporting parents. His heart hurt when he remembered Yeonjun didn’t have the privilege he did, but he knew everything was going to be okay in the end.

Only because Soobin was now here to make sure the older would know that he had someone by his side. 

  
  


Soobin realized a little too late that he had no way to contact Yeonjun. Here he was in a country he has been to maybe once or twice to visit his family or Taehyun. Yes, it was quite a bad situation.  
  
Soobin was standing at the front of the airport and waiting for Taehyun to come pick him up. As soon as he had told the younger he was going to stay in Korea, the boy had been ecstatic and had insisted he come and pick him up. 

So here Soobin was, standing awkwardly and sticking out amongst a crowd of people who were looking at him weirdly. 

Maybe he should have packed normal clothes instead of kimonos… Soobin felt so embarrassed. It felt like some type of taboo to wear clothes like kimonos in another land.

Just then, a sleek black car pulled up to the concrete in front of him. The window pulled down, and Taehyun’s head peeked out from the top. 

Ah… cute and tiny as always! The boy was wearing his school uniform and Soobin frowned.

He opened the car door and yelped as he was suddenly pulled inside by a sudden hand grabbing his arm. 

Soobin didn’t dwell on it for too long before turning on Taehyun to scold him, “You don’t have to skip school just to-”  
  
“Soobinie hyung, I missed you!”  
  
A wide smile and curved eyes looking back at him and Soobin instantly shut up, smiling and ruffling Taehyun’s hair from behind his seat. 

He sighed, deciding to give up, “How are you and that boy?”  
  
Taehyun blushed and turned back to face the front of his seat, sinking down so that Soobin couldn’t see him at all. Soobin chuckled at the boy before he felt someone scooch closer to him on the seat and wrap his arm around his shoulders.  
  
He turned to face the touchy person and he almost screamed, but he stopped when he felt lips pressing onto his. Blueberry. 

He heard a gasp that sounded too much like Taehyun and Soobin’s face flushed red. His eyes were wide as the two separated and he was met eye to eye with a familiar pair of fox-like eyes. 

Yeonjun licked his lips and smirked, “I take it that since you accepted my offer our feelings are mutual.”  
  
Soobin’s eyes widened even further and he stuttered out, “F-Feelings?”  
  
Yeonjun blinked before his face fell, “Don’t you know? I’ve fallen in love with you.”  
  
Call Soobin dramatic, but he really could not comprehend a higher being with ethereal looks just said that he liked him. Him of all people. Choi Soobin. 

So what did Soobin most naturally do?  
  
He fainted. 

  
  


When he woke up everything was dark, but he was laying somewhere comfortable. Soobin sighed and pulled the sheets over him tighter, sinking into the soft mattress.  
  
“Oh, you’re awake! I made some ramen, want some?” 

Soobin’s eyes trailed to the source of the voice and he sat up straight when he saw Yeonjun walking in while holding a bowl of hot noodles. Yeonjun flicked on the lights with his nose and quickly made his way to Soobin’s side.  
  
Soobin calmed his beating heart and he smiled at Yeonjun who returned it. Yeonjun said, “It’s best if you wait for the noodles to cool a little bit.” 

He sat down next to Soobin on the bed cross legged and quietly blew on the noodles. Suddenly, all memory of what happened in the car came back to him in a rush and he suddenly felt very embarrassed of his actions. 

Soobin asked, “Where am I?”

Yeonjun decided the noodles had cooled down enough and handed the bowl over to Soobin. He shrugged and said like it was nothing, “My apartment. Taehyun left you a message by the way.”

Okay, stop, wait a minute. Soobin was with Yeonjun in his apartment, _alone_?

Gods, he was so screwed. 

Yeonjun handed him a piece of paper and he winked, “Don’t worry, I didn’t look at it.”

Soobin looked at the piece of paper with a narrowed eye, not trusting it one bit. He opened it and immediately ripped it up after reading the message.

 _‘Hehe, good luck with your crush from now on, hyung! Wishing you the best!_ _  
_ _  
_ _P.S. you’re going to be staying with him from now on. He’s been complaining how lonely he is in his big apartment all by his lonesome self, and I’m this close to snapping so you arrived at the perfect time heuheuheuheu~ (´꒳`∗)_

Soobin swore a blood vessel popped in that moment and he cursed quietly. It honestly wasn’t the message that triggered him, it was how cute Taehyun’s little kaomoji at the end was. It must have been that boy being a bad influence on him, tainting his little Taehyunnie!

...but he wouldn't mind if he taught him more, because it was adorable.  
  
Didn't change the fact that if Soobin ever met him he was going to maybe slap him in the face.  
  
Meanwhile, Yeonjun was still wide eyed over the fact that Soobin had just cursed. Soobin sheepishly raised his head and scratched his head, “Well… I guess we’re roomies now?”  
  
Yeonjun’s eyes brightened and he grasped Soobin’s hands tightly, “Really?!”  
  
However, his mood completely changed and he frowned, rubbing circles into the back of Soobin’s hands, making his heart go boom. 

“Your family really let you go that easily?”  
  
Soobin sighed, getting a headache just thinking about that matter. The elders and his parents had argued for weeks. It took them a whole month just to come to an acceptable negotiation by both parties. 

It felt weird to have two parties fighting for him. The elders on the side of protecting, even if it meant containing, their precious family jewel, and his parents on the side of letting their son pursue the love of his life. Soobin was against that phrasing but his parents gave him a stern look, telling him that he shouldn’t lie to them. 

Soobin sighed, “I can stay and live in Korea but whenever a meeting is called I must return to attend. Other than that, I’m finally free.”

Yeonjun smiled, “I’m so happy for you. Your life is going to be so much more fun now that I can freely take you around!”  
  
And Yeonjun kept his word like always. The whole week was spent with Yeonjun showing him around his favorite places in Seoul. They also stopped by a furniture shop to furnish their apartment. Ever since Soobin moved in, Yeonjun insisted that the space needed a new look. 

Unfortunately, the two had completely conflicting personalities as Soobin was very picky. Like now, the two were currently arguing over a storage rack for the pantry.  
  
Yeonjun was frowning and his voice was gradually on the rise, “Look! The bigger it is the more food it could hold!”  
  
Soobin glared at him, “Are you kidding me?! We are not buying that, it’s so ugly! I can’t believe you would rather have a large and visually unappealing cabinet for our pantry rather than having one that actually matches the rest of the house!”  
  
Yeonjun rolled his eyes and crossed his arms, “Does it even matter? It’s just for the pantry anyways!”  
  
That’s when Soobin snapped. He angrily pointed at the said cabinet that they had been arguing over for almost a whole hour now.  
  
“We are not, and will never, be getting a puke green cabinet that is taller than me! How would you even be able to reach the top shelf?!”  
  
Yeonjun glared at him, “Don’t bring our heights into this! I’ll just buy a step stool!”  
  
Soobin sighed and raised his hands in defeat, not wanting to argue over something so meaningless anymore, “Fine, let’s just buy it. It’s your money anyway.”  
  
Yeonjun in the end, reigned supreme and he had an overly smug smile on his face that Soobin so desperately wanted him to punch off his face, but he was happy that the older male was happy. 

Ah… now that he thought about it, this felt oddly right and awfully domestic. Soobin stared at the back of Yeonjun as they walked to the checkout aisle. 

He bit his lip and wondered, would it be such a crime to imagine a future with Yeonjun in his life indefinitely? 

Soobin shook his head and smiled. Of course it wouldn’t, why else would he ask to come to Korea just for one person? It was clear what his heart wanted, and Soobin was completely fine with this realization. 

The two of them rebonded over a sundae afterwards, and to appease Soobin, Yeonjun let him pick out their living room furniture. This time, Yeonjun had no opinion on the living room, finding it better to leave it to someone who actually cared about what their living room looked like. 

“Hyung, I’m here!”

Taehyun bounded into their apartment, dressed in warm colors and… was that blood on his face?!  
  
Soobin rushed over and rubbed the blood stain with a warm towel, scolding him. “Kang Taehyun! You can’t just go outside with blood on your face! People are going to start asking questions!”  
  
Taehyun pouted and tried to shake off Soobin’s grasp on him as the pressure increased on his poor cheeks. He whined, “You were the one who called me to help you guys with your apartment!”  
  
Soobin threw the towel at Yeonjun and it landed on his head. The older jumped and turned to glare at Soobin. He was busy screwing together his precious cabinet.

Soobin corralled Taehyun to the living room and showed him their mess of boxes, “You’re strong, so you can take them out of the boxes, and I’ll place them around.”

Taehyun nodded and got to work, pulling up his sleeves. Taehyun started humming and Soobin was impressed but decided to tease him anyway, “So… how are you and that boy?”  
  
Taehyun dropped the pillow he was holding and he froze, face turning beet red. The boy looked around nervously before closing the door to the room. 

He sat down on the floor cross legged and Soobin quickly joined, glad to get the chance to do nothing. 

Taehyun sighed and traced circles into the hard floor beneath them, “He’s… really dense, and we got into a fight recently. If given the choice I would rather stay home and not help you at all, but I really need a distraction right now.”  
  
Soobin frowned and he flexed his arm muscles, “Drop the address, I’ll beat the shit out of this kid.”

Taehyun snorted, his eyes crinkling, “You wouldn’t hurt a fly. Besides, I’m sure you’ll love Kai. No one can hate him.”

Soobin shrugged and Taehyun stood up, “Anyways, time to get to work!”  
  
Soobin pouted but knew it was better to get it done now while he had help than by himself. All in all, it took them almost three hours to get everything done, that included helping Yeonjun by the way. The man had quit halfway through and requested backup. 

After they finished, Soobin had asked Taehyun if he wanted to stay for dinner, but the younger had refused politely, saying he got a text from “Hyuka” and had promptly run off afterwards. 

That left just Soobin and Yeonjun who had silently sat at their newly built table, eating the takeout they had delivered to their apartment. Soobin was silent, content with just watching Yeonjun eat.

Soobin asked, “So what are we?”  
  
Yeonjun choked on his noodles and Soobin panicked, eyes widening, “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you! I was just thinking about how… you said you liked me, and we kissed already.”  
  
His voice fell to a whisper as he finished his sentence, “And how I like you too…” 

Yeonjun put down his chopsticks and smiled, resting his chin in his palm, staring deep and straight into Soobin’s eyes. 

He hummed, “What do you want us to be?”

Soobin gulped and his face turned bright red. He hid his face behind his sleeves and whispered something so quiet Yeonjun couldn’t hear. 

Yeonjun stepped closer, partially to tease the younger, and asked, “Sorry, say that again?”  
  
Soobin whispered loud enough for Yeonjun to hear him, “...lovers.”  
  
Yeonjun grinned and pranced over to where Soobin was sitting at the other side of the table. He leaned in close enough for Soobin to feel his bangs falling on his forehead before Yeonjun lightly rested his forehead on Soobin’s, eyes closed and very close yet not enough for their lips to meet.

Yeonjun smiled, “It’s about time, Choi Soobin.”  
  
Soobin was always bad with words and seeing as his heart was beating out of his chest, he decided right then and there, what did he have to lose?  
  


Soobin closed the gap between them and smiled fondly as Yeonjun responded passionately to the kiss. In the end, Yeonjun acted upon his promise like Soobin was hoping he would. 


End file.
